Sometimes you don’t have to be loud to make a big noise. There’s little hooplah or hurrahs on Loyle Carner’s debut album, little in the way of swagger or outlandish show, and this is to be saluted.
Instead of bravado and bluster, Yesterday's Gone is about detail and nuance, a series of tracks where subtle victories and small gestures win out amidst the melancholic mood music and downbeat tones. The Croydon rapper has a great eye and ear for lines which are full of drama without being full of drama ("tidying the flat, just me and the cat" or "I kind of miss my student loan" indicate you're not dealing with the lifestyles of Drake or Kanye here).
Musically, he veers from full-on gospel hallelujahs (The Isle of Arran) to old-school knock-ons (No CD) to agile soul and jazz (Ain't Nothin' Changed), but it's the vulnerable, candid, open-hearted verbals about family, friends and everyday suburban life which really set the mood. A massive album in every sense.
